New President’s Club member John Churm awarded Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. recently announced John Churm from the Red Robin restaurant in Bend, Oregon, is one of only 12 general managers selected from across North America to join its President’s Club. This elite group represents two to three percent of the restaurant chain’s entire operations system. In recognition of their achievement, Churm received a special, one-of-a-kind President’s Club ring with an insignia of the company’s ... [full story]

After rounding the final bend of the trail near the summit, I find myself in the midst of the skeletal remains of charred trees, remnants of a 200-acre forest fire sparked by lightning in September of 1981. In the distance, Mount Jefferson stands like a beacon, overlooking the surrounding wilderness. Farther to the north, Mount Hood, Oregon’s highest peak, reaches into the clear mountain air. The lookout tower comes into view and a few minutes ... [full story]

Chat Up Writers and Literati at Readings, Workshops and Dinner Where do great writers get their great ideas? And what inspires them to stay focused? Come to The Nature of Words, Central Oregon’s premier literary event, November 2-5, 2006, and ask award-winning authors what you’ve always wanted to know about their craft. From the post-reading book signings to the author-led workshops to the dinner and panel discussion, you will have a chance for an informal ... [full story]

Federal and state fire managers in Central Oregon are asking hunters, and other public and private wildland visitors to take extra precautions to prevent wildfires this fall.  To date, 138 of the 450 fires reported this year to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Prineville were human-caused. “Abandoned campfires are the leading cause of wildfires in the West,” said Tom Goheen, Deputy Fire Management Officer for the Deschutes National Forest.  “We’re especially concerned about ... [full story]

For two weeks, more than 100 students at High Lakes Elementary School engaged in a slightly unique kind of school work -– bicycle riding. The 5th grade students have been participating in an intensive one hour a day bicycle safety education program provided by Commute Options of Central Oregon. The free course takes students through the parts of the bicycle, helmet fitting, traffic laws and safe bike operation. The ten day/ten hour course is divided ... [full story]

Oregon's 221,000 food-stamp households will receive small increases this month in the amount of their benefit and in how much they can earn to qualify. The changes, affecting about 431,000 people, were effective Sunday, Oct. 1. The federal government, which finances the food-stamp program, revises food-stamp payments annually to reflect changes in food, housing and other costs. Recipients are people who are low-income, elderly or disabled. The average amount of food stamps received by an ... [full story]

A jogger passing by a small campsite north of Bend Saturday afternoon found the body of a transient who appears to have been deceased for over one month, authorities said. According to Lt. Shane Nelson with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, the body of a male was found about 1:20 p.m. September 1 in a small camp which appeared to be occupied solely by the deceased.  The camp was located east of Highway 97 near ... [full story]

Mary McBride, whose single "No One's Gonna Love You Like Me" was featured on the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack, will perform at The Grove (1033 NW Bond Street, Bend, Oregon) on Friday, October 13 at 9 p.m.  Tickets are $10 at the door.McBride is a singer-songwriter who was featured alongside the likes of Willie Nelson on the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack.  She will be performing songs from her upcoming album, Tricky Tricky World, as well as hits ... [full story]

An exhausted mountain biker who suffered scrapes and bruises from several crashes throughout the day was rescued from a trail west of Bend Sunday night when it became too dark for him to see without his glasses, said authorities. Dennis Vogt, 56, of Bainbridge Island, Washington began biking with his companion Rob Johnson, a 52-year California resident from Irvine, from the North Fork/Flagline Trail about 1 p.m. October 1, but badly misjudged the amount of ... [full story]

Comments due by November 30, 2006 The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is proposing the approval and implementation of a closure plan for the petroleum-contaminated site, Sisters Chevron, at 462 West Cascade Avenue in Sisters, Oregon.  Petroleum contamination was discovered in 2005 when the underground storage tanks (USTs) and associated piping, were being decommissioned. The owner of the facility, American Energy, located in Bend, Oregon has conducted a cleanup at the facility, which included the ... [full story]